Screen Time on iPhone and iPad tracks how long you use apps and websites, how often you pick up your device, and how many notifications you get. There is no button to delete just the history, but you can clear it by turning off App & Website Activity, which erases the collected data, and then turning it back on to start fresh. This guide explains how that works, what gets deleted, and how to handle history synced across devices or managed by a parent.
Quick Answer
Go to Settings > Screen Time, scroll down, and tap Turn Off App & Website Activity (on older iOS versions, Turn Off Screen Time). Confirm, and enter your Screen Time passcode if asked. This deletes the usage history. Turn it back on to start tracking again from zero.
Can You Delete Screen Time History?
| What you want | Possible? | How |
|---|---|---|
| Delete all Screen Time history | Yes | Turn off App & Website Activity |
| Delete one app or one day | No | Screen Time does not support selective deletion |
| Hide history on other devices | Yes | Turn off Share Across Devices |
| Clear website history in Safari | Yes | Settings > Apps > Safari > Clear History and Website Data |
Step-by-Step: Clear Screen Time History
- Open Settings and tap Screen Time.
- Scroll to the bottom and tap Turn Off App & Website Activity.
- Tap Turn Off App & Website Activity again to confirm. Enter your Screen Time passcode if one is set.
- To start fresh, tap App & Website Activity and turn it back on.
Note: turning off App & Website Activity also removes App Limits and other usage-based features. Downtime and Content & Privacy Restrictions settings may remain, depending on your iOS version. Recheck your limits after turning it back on.
If You Use Share Across Devices
With Share Across Devices on, Screen Time combines data from all devices signed in to your Apple Account. To clear everything:
- Turn off Share Across Devices on each device.
- Turn off App & Website Activity on each device.
- Turn them back on if you want a fresh combined report.
Children's Devices With Family Sharing
If a parent manages Screen Time through Family Sharing, the history belongs to the family setup. Only the parent (organizer) can turn off Screen Time or change settings for the child's device, usually from their own iPhone under Settings > Screen Time > [child's name].
Other Ways to Reduce What Is Recorded
- Private browsing in Safari does not save browsing history, although Screen Time may still count time spent in Safari.
- Clear Safari history separately to remove visited sites.
- Turn off Screen Time entirely if you do not use it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Screen Time data delete itself?
Screen Time shows reports for recent days and weeks. Older detailed data is not kept indefinitely, but there is no setting to control how long it is stored.
Will turning off Screen Time delete my passcode?
The Screen Time passcode may be removed when you turn it off. Set a new one when you turn Screen Time back on if you need restrictions.
Can I delete Screen Time history on a Mac?
Yes. Go to System Settings > Screen Time and turn off App & Website Activity.
Summary
- There is no selective delete for Screen Time history.
- Turn off App & Website Activity to erase history.
- Turn off Share Across Devices on all devices to clear synced data.
- Turn Screen Time back on to start fresh and reset your limits.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.